Evasion of Normalcy
by BlueGreenGrey
Summary: CHAPTER FOUR IS UP! AU HieiBotan, KuramaYukina, YusukeKeiko...Hiei, along with Botan, Kurama, and Yusuke, is hunting down his father, Jaganshi Xian, who holds Yukina hostage! This is how I envisioned Yu Yu Hakusho...
1. The Taken and the Given Back

Evasion of Normalcy

Disclaimer: If I owned it then there would be an American name on it!

Notes/Warnings: This is a HieiBotan, KuramaYukina, and YusukeKeiko fic, you have been forewarned Also, this story has some mentioning of the Ningen King, which is what Jesus will be called. If you do not like my reference, then don't read it. If you don't care or aren't religious, then you're just like me! This fanfiction has been rated so because of fight scenes, gore, and language, but there wouldn't be any good stories out there if any of these were banned. This story is dedicated to all of my reviewers of 'Amari Okeru Kiregire'. So, domo arigatou to all of my reviewers. Also for you reviewers, this is what I wanted the Yu Yu Hakusho anime to be like. Read and review, please!Chapter One  
The Taken and the Given Back  
Hiei's POV  
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The warm air blew across my face lazily as I sat in a tree in Ningenkai. Why was I in the ningen realm? The only honest answer was because I found the antics of this strange race amusing. The way they would react to different situations was always performed as if it were thought over and drawn out like they were on a stage. Also, the pint-sized prince of Hell has restricted me to the confines of this damnable world...

It was the middle of what the ningens called 'summer', and there were several of the bakas in the mori that was in the center of the park. I stared at their strange traditions with fascination hidden behind my blood-colored eyes. As pathetic and useless as ningens may be, their customs are intriguing.

In the Makai, the father of a female's offspring would take no part in the raising of a whelp. Male demons would become gentle and affectionate toward females when they were in heat during the demon mating season. The male would tempt the female to mate with him by proving that he is a good provider, and a strong member of his species, as if she were deserving of his presence. After the mating had been finished, and the male's lust had been satiated, he would leave the female demon with, as is the case with demons, his offspring. The purpose of mating, in the male demon's mind, is to satisfy his primal urges and to create a successor to his territory, or one to bring vengeance to his bloodline should he be killed by a rival demon. Unless he is mated to the female.

If two demons are mated, then it is impossible to break their bond. All demons learn at an early age to avoid marking or being marked, because if the bond has no reason, or it is one sided mating, both demons will harbor hate and regret that will slowly, and painfully, eat them away from the inside until they either kill themselves, or each other. The only way to rid oneself of a demon mark, is for the marker to die. Usually this is impossible, as the dominant demon in the mating is the marker, and the submissive has no power over the dominant one.

Female demons are constantly on guard and difficult to tempt, which is why very few demons are mated. When a male demon cannot tempt the female, he either finds a different female, another male in a similar situation, or a weaker female. Several male demons have been found guilty of the rape of ningen women, and begin to acquire a taste for the insecurity and helplessness of them. Some male demons even mark the ningen that is the object of their lust, and spend the rest of their unnatural lives in the presence of his ningen mate, who will live as long as her marker, and hanyou offspring.

In Ningenkai, however, males can be found holding their whelps close to them, whelps of various ages. Bands of gold adorned their fingers, many of the onnas also wearing one. This appears to be a form of demon marking, called 'marriage', but is less-permanent.

Several ningens appear to go through a courtship before presenting the other with a golden band to signify their union. It's quite annoying, yet amusing at the same time, how the female will usually cry and then shout 'yes' before leaping upon her partner. Female demons, when asked to be marked, are cautious about their answer, because they, much like ningen females, only want a good mate who will provide and protect. Or, so I've been told by a mated demon...

Mates in the Makai can be of the same gender. It is not unusual to see that type of relations in my home world. Here, however, in Ningenkai, it seems that same sex courtship, and mating is frowned upon. I can spot very few noticeable, courting, ningens that are of the same gender. In the Makai it is not _unusual_ to see same sex courting or even mating, but actually finding marked demons is much less common than in Ningenkai. If a male demon wishes to mate, but not create offspring, then he will most likely mate with another male demon who's mindset is the same, and if the two males wish to continue their simplicity, they mark each other. Females will also do this if they do not wish for offspring, or if they have a whelp and need help with it's rearing.

When demons mark each other, it creates a stronger bond than usual. With this bond, when one member of the marking is away, the other sinks into a depression, which is why most demons who are doubly marked choose to stay within the same area.

There is a more temporary form of marking, and that is simply mating. The male demon's scent surrounds the female until, between a male and female demon, a child is conceived. When the male demon can no longer find his scent on the female, he leaves, having completed his prime objective. If the male demon chooses to mark the female, then he is most likely to do it during the mating, and the temporary bond shapes itself into the demon mark on the junction in between the shoulder and neck. It is possible to mark without mating, but the primal urges become stronger.

Most demons prefer to stick with the temporary bond, using it as a form of courtship, to test if they would like to be mated to that demon. The temporary mark, is also an illusion, in a sense. During the female's heat, the male and she will mate, and his scent will cover her, this wards off any other male demons who had been considering mating with her. If she is raped by a different male demon than her temporary mate, then the intruder's scent will dominate the other's, and the onna's original temporary mate will hunt down and kill the offender, then come back to the female, and mate with her to establish a temporary bond once again. Unless he is killed by the offender, then the offender creates offspring with the female, and, when he can no longer detect his scent, either leaves, or marks her.

Throughout my wondering, the sky began to grow dark, and the ningen families started departing the park. Going toward their homes, I can only assume. I liked sitting in this tree, after all of the ningens left, and it was dark, the air around me became peaceful, putting me at ease while the wind gradually cooled. Slowly, the clouds disappeared, leaving me alone in my world of black. Little lights in the blank sky interrupted my darkness, but they were not bothersome.

After a long period of staring at a moonless sky, I began to feel restless. I found myself wanting to move, speak, do anything but sit there. My knuckles itched to clutch the hilt of one of my katanas, but remained folded behind my head as I focused on my surroundings. My hearing seemed to increase tenfold as a feeling of unease raised a low, cautious growl in my throat.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the trees around me, finally letting both hands rest upon a katana's hilt. An irksome feeling took my stomach as hostage, winding me into an anxious crouch. I leaped soundlessly to the dirt floor of the mori, my eyes darting around the clearing I was in, carefully searching for the source of my discomfort.

As I stood, still crouched slightly, the only sound that reached my ears was the whispering breeze through the leaves of the trees. Finally becoming annoyed with my instinct, I ripped off the white bandanna that had covered my forehead, revealing my Jagan. I closed my eyes and focused my Jagan on the ki that the mori may have concealed. Nothing.

I frowned and began to turn back to my tree, before a piercing scream reached my ears. I looked critically toward the skyscrapers that towered outside of the mori. The scream was undoubtedly female, and more then likely a ningen's. I felt a strange surge of fury and protectiveness flow through my body, but the feeling was ignored as I leaped back up onto my branch.

I had always felt a protective, chivalrous feeling towards onnas, and this annoyed me greatly as I began to settle into the bark with my hands behind my head once again. The ningen onna's scream rippled through my ears again, it was louder this time, closer. I leapt, for the second time within ten minutes, to the ground below, taking off toward the sound. Ningen or not, when an onna calls out it isn't for no reason. This troubled onna was obviously my source of discomfort, and if she was screaming simply for the sake of screaming, I'll show her what it really means to cry out.

With my god-like speed I had exited the park within the center of Tokyo quite quickly. I listened carefully from the corner of what ningens call an intersection. It was strange to not see any metal contraptions driving in long lines down the streets.

For all of it's noise during the day, Tokyo became quiet at night, much to my satisfaction. Tokyo was my favorite place in Ningenkai. Perhaps because of it's cultural wealth, Tokyo became a much more favorable city over any other I'd visited.

As I quickly sped towards the less-traveled alleyways of Tokyo, I began to hear sobbing. In the dark of an abandoned alleyway an onna was held against the wall by a very tall figure. I walked silently closer, getting a better view of the offender. He was a green-skinned demon wearing all black, his black hair was cut short, and spiked out at odd angles. It wasn't his hair or skin that was disconcerting, not even the onna he had pushed against the wall was a cause for my stomach to take the state of unrest that currently held it captive. It was his blood-red eyes, as uniquely colored as my own.

It was then that the onna cried out to me for help that I was snapped out of my wonderment, and the red-eyed demon turned to face me. He growled out low chuckle and let his captive slide to the disgusting, littered floor of the alleyway. "Run, onna." I said quietly, reaching for one of my three blades. When she made no move to escape I yelled, "Move it, baka onna!" This seemed to get her attention because she immediately bolted away from both the offending demon and myself, sobbing hysterically.

My katana flashed out of it's sheath with a metallic scraping, and I pointed it at the green-skinned demon with malice shining in my eyes. "What business do you have in Ningenkai?" I asked, my sword point still aimed at the ugly demon's head, who began, to my confusion, laughing.

"Jaganshi Hiei, your reputation as a cold-blooded killer seems to be evading you. I never would have thought that you would care about a ningen onna. Do tell me, are you going soft?" I growled dangerously at him, "Hn. My reputation is none of your concern. What are you doing in Tokyo?" I asked again. This demon was beginning to aggravate me.

He laughed, "So this town has a name? No matter, I only came here to kill you." I scoffed at his motive, "_You_ kill _me_? I have killed many a demon with more ki than you. How can you possibly survive my onslaught if you know my reputation? I am master to the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, and the Jagan, and you believe that you could defeat me?"

Again he laughed, only this time it was maniacal, and it rang within my eardrums, greatly irritating me. "Ah, Hiei, you're not the only one who can conceal their aura. How do you think I attract demons to feed upon?" I frowned at that. I was dealing with a cannibal, how wonderful. Then my eyes widened a fraction as high levels of ki began to radiate from this demon, perhaps even higher than my own. His aura could finally be determined, he was a fire demon, but there was something darker about his ki, something I couldn't decipher.

Then I noticed the thick, purple demon blood dripping down his face from his forehead. His bleeding distracted me enough so I wouldn't notice the flash of steel from his now drawn katana, before he plunged the cold metal through my left shoulder. I cried out in both surprise and pain. I hadn't even seen him move, he had to be faster than me to perform a feat that quickly and effectively. He has been the first to touch my person with the steel of a katana since I was a young whelp traveling with bandits. They had cut me several times, but never as deep as this. Never deep enough to pierce the fabric upon my back. Then he clutched the hilt tightly, wrenching it out of my body painfully fast.

I looked questioningly at the demon who had stabbed me, he was licking my blood off of his blade with a malicious grin as he saw me crouched with a hand clutching my wound. "It's been awhile, Hiei, since I tasted a blood so familiar to me. I believe that your sister's blood will taste similar? Is she your reason for an extended stay within Ningenkai? So you can find her? Not to worry, I'll pay her a visit when I'm done feeding off of your carcass. It would be a nice change to drink such a familiar blood to my own after a century of not tasting my wounds. Or maybe I'll leave you here to rot, I'm sure that if I fasted enough I could actually devour all of her..."

"Leave Yukina out of this! Don't you dare talk of her that way! What the Hell are you raving about, 'drinking blood familiar to your own'!" I barked coldly, angrily confused by this demon's words. He laughed cruelly, "Hiei, I am Jaganshi Xian, the Chinese fire demon whom mated with your bitch of a mother in the secret tunnels of the floating Koorime Isle, and at last, my Jagan has located you. Yukina will be next, and she will finally be reunited with her long lost brother in the River Styx."

My eyes were wide with pain, wonderment, and anger as I stood upright, clutching one of the other katans attached to my belt and releasing my wound. I watched as pieces of green flesh seemed to almost peel from Xian's forehead revealing a third eye. A Jagan.

"Yes, Hiei, I have a Jagan much like your own, only mine is much more powerful...And mine was never removed, only covered by a thin layer of skin." I growled, "What the fuck are you going on about!" I spat out the sentence, as if it were venomed. Xian, my bastard father, as he had now revealed, frowned, "You were born with a Jagan, I had it removed when you were born for suspicion of a prophecy that I would be killed by the power of a descendent's Jagan. It is merely chance that your very Jagan that had been discarded years ago had been found once again to take residence upon your forehead."

I bit back a moan as pain surged through my body, attacking my senses. Instead I growled at Xian, "You're spewing nonsense, if this were true then Yukina would also bear a Jagan..." I claimed futilely as my breath came in short, spasmodic bursts, forcing me into a crouching position once again.

"This 'third eye curse' was placed upon the Jaganshi family a millennium ago, and only fell upon the males. A curse that the both of us have learned to use like a blessing. Am I right, Hiei?" he asked me as I fell to the ground, shuddering at the never ending ache within my head. I felt like my skull was being split in two as I began to convulse from lose of blood and dulling senses.

My bastard father laughed cruelly at me, his Jagan glowing purple as my illusion seemed to fade. Then I found the true source of my pain, a katana was stabbed into my Jagan, blood dripping down from the protruding blade. That was one of _my own_ katanas, and _my_ very own hand clutched the hilt, driving the steel deeper within my Jagan.

"Yes, Hiei, I have taken control of your body with my Jagan. I have forced you to stab yourself through the shoulder and in your Jagan. Now that you are immobile, I shall dispose of you in a way most proper to your _tendencies_..." Xian walked closer to me, not that I could do anything to prevent it, and lifted me up by the collar of my shirt, walking over to a rusted dumpster as a trail of my blood mingled with the dirt and grime on the alleyway floor.

He opened the top of the dumpster and, none-too-gently, tossed me inside onto the piles of trash and insects. He grasped one of my katanas and moved my arms so that they crossed at the wrists, before plunging the steel through my flesh. I could not do anything except endure the pain, I couldn't move nor cry out.

The bastard fire demon then grasped my feet as he slowly pushed another of my katanas through each of my ankles. "I am bestowing upon you everything that your precious ningens gave the Ningen King, Jesus," he spat out as he turned me on my side, before grabbing a gold katana from within his cloak, "I have crucified you upon a cross of trash, pierced your wrists, forehead, and ankles with steel. Now, I deliver the spear through the side with a stolen artifact of Reikai, the Reikon Settouzai Katana. It will take your soul, so Lord Enma will have no choice but to toss you into Reikai Prison when a kato onna carries your lost soul for judgment...sayonara, _son_..."

My vision clouded as I felt the last of my pain, my grip upon reality slowly slipping away. I can vaguely see my bastard father smirk maliciously as he tosses my third and last katana in beside me before closing the lid to the dumpster. I can tell he has left, because half of my soul has followed the Reikon Settouzai Katana...  
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Japanese Dictionary:  
ningen - human  
domo arigatou - thank you very much  
Ningenkai - the human world  
bakas - idiots  
mori - forest  
Makai - the demon world  
hanyou - demon/human offspring  
onnas - women  
Jagan - evil eye  
ki - spirit energy  
Reikai - the spirit world  
Reikon Settouzai Katana - Soul Stealing Sword  
kato - ferry  
sayonara - good bye  
Santoryu - the three-sword style, in which there is one sword in each hand and one in between the teeth

I know that all of the Hiei fans out there are after my sorry hide right now, and I humbly ask them to SPARE ME! PLEASE! I PROMISE BETTER THINGS TO COME IN FUTURE CHAPTERS! Anyway this fic is all about Hiei's search for Yukina, the other half of his soul, and his father Jaganshi Xian, who's real name I do not know. Also, you may notice that I have given Hiei three katanas. That is because, in this fic, he will be using Santoryu. If you find Hiei to be OOC, I'm sorry, but he has to be to fit the story...Review please, hope you enjoyed chapter one of "Evasion of Normalcy"...


	2. Gaurdian Angel

Evasion of Normalcy

Disclaimer: If I owned it then there would be an American name on it!  
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Chapter Two  
Gaurdian Tenshi  
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A sky-haired onna surveyed the gory scene below her, sighing as she watched the ningen crowd whisper amongst themselves. The onna's pink eyes glanced at the mangled body the coroners were extracting from the rusted dumpster only briefly, and she wouldn't look back down until the black clad man had been placed in an equally dark body bag.

The only witness to the crime that the police had was being questioned, and when asked to confirm that the victim was one of the men she saw the previous night, she shuddered and barely whispered that he had saved her. She was asked to describe her attacker, but the police merely labled her as 'traumatized by her ordeal' when she began to tell them of a tall, green-skinned monster with crimson eyes.

Botan scanned the throngs of ningens for a slightly transparent figure, only to glance back at the crime scene after finding no such person. The police were now extracting three katanas from the green and rust-red dumpster, placing them in a bag labled 'evidence'.

Searching around her for traces of ki, Botan found two seperate sources of the same ki. One was being dragged around the Makai, but the other half, was lounging calmly in a nearby park.

Botan turned her oar toward the spirit within the park's direction, but merely glided to her destination. Her target was Jaganshi Hiei, a hi koorime that had been tortured and murdered by his father, Jaganshi Xian.

Hiei had previously been on probation, a probation restricted to the confines of Ningenkai, and was strictly prohibited against becoming involved in any act of violence. Now that Hiei had fought with Xian to protect a ningen onna, however, Reikai law states that he is to be shoved into Reikai Prison for all of eternity.

No matter how much Botan had begged for Hiei to be sent to either Hell or Heaven, there was nothing that Lord Koenma could do about it. He had explained that only his father, King Enma, could change the law, and doing so could prove catastophic. Demons and ningens alike, in the result of a change in the law, within the Reikai Prison would be ripped out of limbo, and become souls again that would roam the three worlds until they were either grabbed by a minion of Enma to be dragged to Hell, or picked up by a tenshi of Kami-sama to be carted off to Heaven. With ningens and demons dying every day, a massive breakout of souls would cause calamity, the wrong souls would get taken to Hell and vice versa.

Botan slowly approached the mori, pitying Hiei for his cruel fate. The mere idea of the Reikai Prison made Botan shudder, but walking within it's unfathomable depths, that was enough to make her feel faint.

Hiei had never led a favorable lifestyle. Soon after he was born, his Jagan had been removed, which is a painful process, and was then flung form the floating Isle of the Koorime by a good friend of his mother's, an onyx tear gem tucked into the blanket he had been wrapped in. It was a miracle that he survived the fall. He laid on the floor of the Makai, crying out in hunger, until a group of demon bandits found and took him in.

While he traveled with the bandits, he was given the meagerest of meals, and was beaten when he failed or hesitated to do what the older demons ordered. Eventually, at the young age of five, the bandits took notice of Hiei's strange passion for slaughter and theivery. One year later, the leader of the bandits grew wary of Hiei's strength, and lust for power. In an attempt to prevent his possible overthrow, he ordered for Hiei's immediate execution.

As the demons moved to attack the boy, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame consumed them all, placing it's permanent mark on Hiei's right arm. The dark violet tattoo of the very creature that had protected him caused Hiei to strive for power even more determinedly than before, leading to very elaborate, and bloody, acts of theivery. As he grew older, his Dragon of the Darkness Flame had grown in power as well.

Hiei's notorious criminal acts quickly earned him a reputation as a fearless, and ruthless assasin. Many corrupt demon Lords over territories in the Makai hired him to steal rare artifacts of power from the palace of Reikai, making Hiei a very rich, and revered demon. So rich that he managed to purchase a Jagan, and find someone capable, and trustworthy enough to have it embedded in his forhead.

Hiei's reign of power came to an abrupt halt when he ran into a kato onna on his way out of the palace. He had pulled one of his katanas out threateningly, but the onna had a demon whistle hidden in the folds of her kimono. She quickly pulled it out, blasting out a long, and very high pitched note, causing Hiei to clutch his head in pain, and collapse to the floor, unconcious.

Botan was that kato onna that knocked Hiei into his unconcious state. Had she told anyone besides Lord Koenma, they would have laughed themselves into a stupor. Like a kato onna could capture the mighty, and elusive Jaganshi Hiei? She did, though, and Hiei was placed in front of Koenma, the prince of Hell.

Instead of being thrown into Reikai Prison for all of the artifacts he stole, Hiei was allowed probation, provided he gave Koenma all of the artifacts that he had kept for himself, and told who his employers were. Hiei didn't care what happened to his previous employers, and had no need for most of the artifacts he possesed, so he had complied. Only to be brutally murdered by Jaganshi Xian a month into his probation.

Botan has been, in a way, Hiei's gaurdian tenshi, watching over him from birth. She had prevented his capture within Reikai, also preventing him from harming any onis or kato onnas by masking his ki from the employees of Reikai. Up to the point that he drew a katana on her, he had eluded capture unknowing of Botan's help.

She had helped the powerful demon in secret, not even Lord Koenma knew. While Hiei's father had his Jagan removed, Botan had been there in spirit form to soothe his pain. When he was thrown from the floating Isle of the Koorime, the pink-eyed deity had caught him, he immediately ceased his crying, then placing him near a group of bandits that were few in numbers, making them eager for a new member.

After he had been beaten and starved by his adoptive "caretakers", Hiei would fall asleep, and Botan would come in the night to heal his wounds and leave a small meal for him when he awakened. Once the leader of the bandits ordered his execution, Botan evoked a power lying dormant in an ancient artifact,

granting Hiei the awesome power of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.

When Hiei began searching for a Jagan, Botan took his very own Jagan from the vault of artifacts in Reikai, sold it to him, and performed the operation to have it placed back in his forehead. The operation proved less painful than when his Jagan had been removed, because the Jagan had originally come from his forhead, but it was the first time Botan had ever heard Hiei cry out in pain.

When she found out about Hiei's death, Botan felt that she was at fault. Botan had to place all of her energy and concentration into masquerading as a demon mistress to get close to Hiei's former employers during the whole month that Hiei was on probation, so she could not mask his ki from Jaganshi Xian.

_'Then again...If I hadn't turned him into Lord Koenma-sama in the first place, I would have been able to continue protecting Hiei...Now, though, Hiei is going to go to Reikai Prison...And it's all my fault...'_ Botan thought as the tree Hiei was laying in came into view. When she got nearer, a gasp escaped her lips, making him crack open an eye. Hiei was almost invisible, he was so transparent.

Botan recalled sensing two forms of his ki, _'Oh, Kami-sama, his soul has been ripped in half! And I'm to blame for it...'_ she thought sorrowfully. Before she could sink into her pit of self-loating, however, Hiei spoke quietly "Hn.You're the kato onna that turned me in to pacifier breath. Here to take me to Hell?"

She almost burst into tears at his question, but held it in to mumble out, "No...Gomen nasai, Hiei...Since you broke the terms of your probation, you'll...You'll be thrown into Reikai Prison for eternity...and because you are only a half soul you cannot recieve judgement from Lord Enma..." His crimson eyes widened slightly as he sat up on the branch. He glanced at Botan, "Hn. What will happen to the other half of my soul?"

The sky-haired kato onna stared hard at the ground, blaming herself inside her mind, "We will try to retrieve it, but it may not be possible. The Reikon Settouzai Katana was created to execute and condemn..." Hiei glared at the sky for moments longer, then looked at Botan, "Well, how are you going to take me to prison?"

Botan looked at her oar and whispered, "We're going to fly..." Hiei merely nodded, placing himself on the oar behind Botan. He circled an arm around her waist, and held onto the oar with the other.

"Ready?" asked Botan, glad that Hiei couldn't see the red tinge that had spread across her cheeks at his touch. "Hn." was all Hiei said, pulling, much to the kato onna's discomfort, her waist closer to his body when they took off for Reikai, Hiei silently cursing the oar all the way there.  
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Japanese Dictionary:  
domo arigatou - thank you very much  
tenshi - angel  
onna - woman  
ningen - human  
katana - Japanese style sword  
ki - spirit energy  
Makai - the demon world  
hi koorime - fire/ice demon  
Ningenkai - the human world  
Reikai - the spirit world  
Kami-sama - God  
mori - forest  
Jagan - evil eye  
kato - ferry  
kimono - traditional Japanese style of clothing, worn by both sexes  
oni - ogre  
gomen nasai - I'm very sorry  
Reikon Settouzai Katana - Soul Stealing Sword

Again I apologise to Hiei fans, but his being shipped off to limbo for eternity has to be there to fit the storyline I came up with during math class (which is probably why I passed that subject with a flying F). Also, I probably didn't get alot of Hiei's past right, but I heard about it somewhere and it went something like that (without Botan, though...). Anyway, in the next chapter we meet Lord Youko Kurama, and his mate Yukina! Review please, hope you enjoyed chapter two!


	3. Escape of the Four Armed Convict

Evasion of Normalcy  
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Disclaimer: If I owned it then there would be an American name on it!

**ADVANCE WITH CAUTION!**

My characters are found, several times, using questionable language that may be offensive to some or many. Several of the characters that are brought forth from my disturbing subconscious are sick, disgusting, gory, loathsome in their entirety, depressing, comically/non-comically deranged, and morbidly insane. A good example of these characters is Li, who is being introduced in this chapter, but his full derangement will become clear in later chapters. Thank you for advancing with as much caution as your own personal derangement will allow.  
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Chapter Three  
Escape of the Four-Armed Convict  
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The sea green-haired koorime looked thoughtfully out the window, smiling as she spied the beautiful castle gardens, the various plants' caretakers hard at work tending to their many exotic flora. Her crimson eyes danced with mirth as she glanced upon one section of the garden in particular, which was devoted entirely to the beautiful ningen flower, the rose.

Lady Yukina's mate had an amusing fascination with the plant, and kept the fragrant beauty in an abundant amount all around the castle, not just his gardens. When she teased her ruby haired lover of his love for the rose, he defensively claimed that their aroma cleared his mind and helped him to focus.

Yukina occasionally claimed, jokingly, that he cared more for the roses than he did for her, and they would both laugh at the ridiculous notion, if just to enjoy their little time together.

Lord Youko Kurama was often away on business in Reikai or Ningenkai. It was on one of these trips to Ningenkai that he brought to his mate, a single red rose, the first one he had ever taken from the soil, and told her that it was the most lovely flower in all of Ningenkai, but that it was shadowed by hey own beauty.

Then Kurama proceeded place two spells on the rose, one that would preserve it for all of eternity, and another that would allow her to whisper his name to the flower, and become able to telepathically communicate with him for a short time. The rose's power, however, was limited and needed to be used sparsely.

Yukina gazed at the rose, admiring it's warm glow that seemed to almost light the room. Then she placed a loving hand on her slightly swollen lower stomach, delicately rubbing it with her fingers. There was a life beating strongly within her womb.

A small smile graced her lips as she remembered the evening in which she and Kurama first found that she was with child.

It had been three days before Lord Daio Enma of Reikai had requested Kurama's presence to judge a trespasser of his territory that had killed several of his border patrol demons.

The Lord and his Lady had been sitting at the window when another ki in the room grabbed their attention. This ki came not from an intruder, but from Yukina. It was a perfect blend of both of their energies, and Kurama took his mate into his arms, kissing her forehead gently, and looking at her stomach with a wide smile on his face. The inevitable would happen eventually, though, and Kurama was called to Reikai. Even if the only thing that he wanted to do was stay in his castle with his Lady, Enma insisted that he should come to the Reikai palace.

Yukina looked upon the rose once more, contemplating if she should use it to check on Kurama. _'No, I shouldn't disturb him...he will be home within a few days...'_ she thought, looking back out the window to the gardens. During her pondering, she failed to notice a large shadow pull one of the patrol demons from their post and into the dark mori...  
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With Youko Kurama  
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Lord Youko Kurama stood before the Lord of Hell and Reikai, Enma, carefully listening to his tale. The large demon was drumming his fingers frustratedly on his desk as his deep voice filled the chamber they were meeting in, "I would have dealt with him myself, I'd have been only too happy to do that, but seeing as he had only _just_ entered your territory and killed twenty-seven of your demons, the peace treaty between our two worlds required that the owner of the territory's judgment be given and that we come to an agreement on what to do with the criminal..."

Kurama looked at the Reikai file he held in his hands, startled to see that the culprit had a extra pair of arms protruding from his waist. Extra appendages other than horns and tails were rare, as demon bloodlines had been mixed and mudded, even inbred, sometimes. Tokai Li was a wind demon of the highest caliber, also a mass murderer. Li was known throughout the three worlds for his murder of a member of the royal family in Reikai, _'Which would explain why Enma has taken him from my territory...'_ the kitsune thought, skimming over the rest of the file.

His eyes became ensnared by a certain word, _'Doppleganger, but the species is extinct...if this is true, and he is half Doppleganger, then Tokai Li can reshape his body at will!'_

The Doppleganger species was, before they were massly slaughtered, very common. If a Doppleganger member could transform into a human, they were exiled. Most Dopplegangers could only transform into animals and, though not often, fantastical and extinct creatures. Li's mother must have been able to morph into a human, and was exiled, which was probably when she met Li's father, a Chinese wind demon, and they conceived Li.

The only one who knew of Li's parents' identities would have to be Li himself, as they were both murdered when Li was a young demon. The Dopplegangers that had exiled his mother, attacked and slaughtered his family. Thinking that his mother was still pregnant for Li, they wasted no time with looking in the nearby mori for the young, four-armed demon that they had no idea had actually been born.

Years later, Li sought vengeance for what had been done to his parents. All of the pain and hardships that he was dragged through at a young age tore at his mind, toyed with his emotions, and further increased his fury towards not only his clan, but the _entire_ Doppleganger species. His need for vindication took him to a new level of power, a wondrously high level. His power was great enough that he could create a giant tornado and shoot it from his hand, completely annihilating his clan, which had been the largest, purest clan of Dopplegangers in Makai.

After that, Tokai Li sought out all other clans, leaving only destruction and chaos in his wake. Nearly all of the Doppleganger species were wiped of the faces of the three worlds. By myth only, it was supposed that Li had spared all Doppleganger members that could morph into fantastical creatures and humans, that those Dopplegangers also felt pain through their lives.

Many demons, dark and light, admired Li. They believed that he was justified in the destruction of the Dopplegangers, as all clans shared the same custom of exiling the Humanoids or Mythicals. They felt that he should be revered, and claimed a hero by the three worlds for "freeing a species from it's savage bonds". They thought that way, until Li murdered a member of the royal family in Reikai. Until he murdered Lady Sakura, Lord Enma's mate...

"Bring in the _criminal_..." Enma called to the oni guards outside the chamber doors. Kurama gazed upon the demon who'd had enough strength to kill twenty-seven of his border patrol demons in mere seconds, and caused the death of an entire species. There were three small horns in a triangular pattern on his forehead, just beneath short-cropped mori green hair that clashed with his lilac-shaded eyes. He was much smaller than Kurama had expected him to be, yet still muscular, and was obviously hurt, blood-stained bandages wrapped around his upper torso.

"Those wounds, did you create them?" the kitsune asked the Lord of Reikai. Though he felt that Li deserved all the punishment in the three worlds, to torture a prisoner, no matter the crime, was a direct violation of the peace treaty between the three worlds.

Daio Enma began to growl lowly, his dark eyes flashing with fury and sorrow, "Yes...but they were created years ago..." His glare became directed toward Tokai Li, who was glaring with equal coldness right back at the master of Hell.

Li wore only black cargo pants, as any shirt he placed on would have been ripped apart by his lower arms. His clawed hands were balled into fists, and shaking with rage as he forced himself to look away from Lord Enma.

When his gaze turned upon Kurama, he chuckled lowly. The red-haired kitsune narrowed his eyes, "You have been accused of murder, and I will sentence you to-"

"You just don't get it, do you?" the mori-haired demon asked, a malicious smirk stapled to his face. His voice was deep and musical, startling for a demon of his size, "You fail to see that you have completely _fucked_ the three worlds? I was only a distraction, your _real _concern should be on your territory, Youko Kurama, as that is where the threat lies..."

"We have captured you, what have we to worry about?" Kurama asked in speculation. Li laughed loudly, "Someone far more powerful than me is in your territory as we speak...I was meant to create an opening in your border so that he could slip through. His great plan worked, you have come to Reikai, far away from your own territory. It will take you days to get back to your beloved koorime, but even then it will be too late..."

Fear clutched at the Lord's heart as he realized what the demon was saying. He sprang forward, grabbing Tokai Li's throat, "What did you say! If you've harmed her in any way I'll-"

"Do what? Kill me? I haven't done anything except lead you away, but I can't guarantee that Jaganshi Xian won't do anything to her and the whelp..." Li's smirk widened when Kurama's hand slid from his throat, but his expression was quickly replaced by a hate-filled one when Daio Enma sprang from his seat and lifted Li into the air by his shoulders.

All of Li's four hands gripped the larger demon's arms, "Maybe this is why Sakura came to me, maybe you were too violent with her..." he whispered hatefully. Enma's eyes burned, "I'll show you _violence_!" One of Enma's fists, which was three times the size of a normal-sized fist, collided with Li's jaw with a sickening crunch. As Li lay on the chamber floor, unconscious, Enma started to build up a fireball in his palm. He would have thrown it at the lilac-eyed demon, but was stopped by Kurama, who stepped between them.

"Get out of my way Kurama, you know you want him gone as much as I do..." the master of Hell muttered quietly, barely restraining himself from using his Pyro Hand on not only Li, but the kitsune as well. "Yes, Enma, but he has information that we may need."

Enma slowly, reluctantly lowered his arm, letting the flame seep back into his palm. "Take that _filth_ to the prison..." he ordered his oni guards, who looked to Kurama for his consent, which he gave with a short nod. After the guards had left, the red-haired kitsune turned to the angry demon, his emerald eyes dark with worry for his mate and unborn child, "What do you suggest we do?"

"I believe that we should get the information we need from the criminal, by any means necessary...and that we should employ the help of someone who has faced Jaganshi Xian..." Youko Kurama looked speculatively at his long-time ally, "Someone has survived a confrontation with that cannibal?"

"No, but when two opposite elements are combined, a new power is born, and it lies dormant within the body until the time comes to call it out. The demon whose help we will need is a hi koorime, and also a carrier of the Jagan curse. I think it is time that we evoked his true power, but first Jaganshi Hiei must be revived."

"Jaganshi? He is related to Jaganshi Xian?" Enma nodded before muttering, "Hiei is his son..."  
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Reikai Prison  
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As the oni guards dragged Tokai Li to an available cell, they failed to pay attention to their captive. If they had actually taken enough care to place extra guards around his unconscious body, one of them may have noticed the slight twitching of Li's lower left hand, or the slight crunch of his regenerating jaw. _'Being half Doppleganger certainly has it's advantages...'_ the four-armed demon thought to himself as he felt the bones in his jaw start to fuse their broken areas back together.

Tokai Li continued to feign sleep as the two guards brought him further down the corridor, until he heard a woman's voice that sounded oddly familiar. He tried to ignore it, but as the guards dragged him further, the voice got louder.

"Who where you ordered to assassinate?" she asked, apparently becoming frustrated with whom she had been questioning. A deeper voice reverberated through Li's ears as the demon whom was being interrogated laughed, "Someone who wronged my employer, that's all you need to know."

"Who is your employer?"

"That, baka onna, is none of your concern."

"Fine then, how was your employer wronged?" Li couldn't stand not knowing who the female voice belonged to any longer, and wrenched open his eyes only to see azure hair and lilac-tinged eyes look, startled, at his extra arms, before catching his same-colored eyes.

_'Sakura...'_ Li thought, his eyes clouding with anger. He raised his lower arms, small tornadoes already forming on his knuckles, before driving them through the oni guards backs. Botan started to scream, only to have solidified air nip into her neck slightly, a thin line of blood starting to trail along the Razor Blade Wind and onto Tokai Li's already blood-stained hand.

"There's noone to protect you now, Sakura...You're finally mine..." Li's eyes flashed from lilac to a steel grey, before becoming their rare shade again. More oni guards began to show up, escorting a different prisoner to their cell, but froze when Li brandished his nearly invisible weapon dangerously in front of Botan's neck.

"Back off or your precious kato onna is going to find herself to be a bloody mess..."

"Not if I can help it, she still has to find the other half of my soul..." A deep voice echoed from a nearby cell, right before Li cried out in pain, clutching his blackened lower right arm. The nearly transparent Jaganshi Hiei peered through his bars coldly at the guards, fire seeping back into his palm, "Don't just stand there, grab him!"

They all lunged for the mori-haired demon, only to be torn to pieces by seemingly imaginary blades. Tokai Li looked upon the carnage he had created and smirked, his ki focusing around his feet. Then he looked at Botan, "I will be back for you, I swear to you that...There is noone who can protect you now...not even _you_ Jaganshi Hiei!" he exclaimed icily as his gaze turned upon the half-souled demon. Then small tornadoes formed around his clawed feet, sending the powerful demon forward at a rate that was difficult for even Hiei to keep track of.

"Oh no, I have to find Lord Daio!" the azure-haired beauty exclaimed, but turned to the hi koorime's cell, flashing a small smile at his clearly bored expression, "Domo arigatou for saving me, Hiei..." Hiei then growled out, "I'd rather be in Hell than in this damn cell. You had better be finding my soul, baka kato onna..."

Botan paled slightly before materializing her oar and speedily flying through the Reikai Prison, ignoring the cries of the convicts as they jeered at her through the bars of their dimly lit cells. She felt a small droplet of blood seep from her tiny wound, her soft hands reaching up to her neck, as her healing magic soothed the minuscule injury. _'I bet anything that I'm lucky that Hiei had been there...I have a feeling that Lord Daio is not going to be very happy about that demon's escaping...'_ she thought as she flew through the exit of the prison, the oni guards having recognized her as she came toward them, and into the halls of the Reikai palace.  
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With Jaganshi Xian  
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The large, red-skinned hi demon looked down at the ugly mess he had created, smirking as he watched his latest victim's blood stain the marble floors of Lord Youko Kurama's castle. Behind the charred remnants of that victim, lay a gory trail of the bodies of every guard that Jaganshi Xian had come up against. His smirk widened as he recalled how silently he had massacred them all, either with his Reikon Settouzai Katana or with his awesome hi.

He searched for traces ki, finding two very close by. To the normal demon eye, it would have seemed that Xian had disappeared, when in reality, he was moving so fast that the most he would have been taken for was a gust of wind.

He only stopped when he reached a set of very large and thick demon oak doors, the chamber's lock having been carefully turned by it's occupant. The dark-haired demon placed his large hand upon the golden doorknob, watching it twist and finally pour, melted, onto the black, grey, and white marble floor. Silently, he pushed the door open, slipping inside with nary a sound. He closed the door, her crimson gaze focusing on the two traces of ki within the room.

Lady Youko Yukina still sat at the window, unaware of the darker presence within her chambers as she stroked her lower stomach. Her intruder focused on the ki from within the sea green-haired onna, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he seemed to disappear, only to phase back into plain sight right behind his target.

Yukina gasped as a golden blade pressed lightly against her neck, and gave a slight whimper as her captor's hot breath grazed roughly around her ears, "For all of his renowned wisdom, your mate should have not been so quick to leave you with mere _amateurs_ for protection."

It was then that Xian let his ki begin to flare, it surprised Yukina enough that she almost stumbled forward into the blade of the Reikon Settouzai Katana, and she would have, had the three-eyed demon not sheathed his blade. Then he speedily bound her with molten rock, which solidified as her koorime powers naturally began to decrease the temperature around her, also healing the burns that the thick liquid had placed upon her wrists.

"What do you want with me!" Yukina cried out as the large demon threw her, none too gently, onto the bed and walked to where she had once been standing. As he peered outside, his Jagan began to glow a dark and venomous purple, _'Come my Dopplegangers...destroy everything, leave nothing alive...'_ he telepathically called to his sizable army, grinning maliciously as wyverns, dragons, and griffins flew through the mori, slaughtering every living thing they could find. His grin only widening when a group of werewolves and chimeras burst from the underbrush, landing among the startled gardeners before beginning to tear large portions of flesh from their bones. Their cries of agony mixing with the roars of the Dopplegangers that were not Mythical, but Humanoid left to ring horribly in Yukina's ears.

"They have done nothing to you, leave them alone!" the petite koorime screamed, tears falling from her eyes as she ran to her captor to plead for their lives. When she got too close, however, Xian threw a look of utter disgust at the crying onna, before lifting her up by her neck so they could see eye to eye. What he saw only placed his evil grin back onto his face.

"You should lie down, my crimson-eyed daughter," he whispered as he tossed her, more roughly than before, onto her bed, "Now relax, you're going to need to preserve as much energy as you can. If you do, then you just may survive the _procedure_ that I have in mind for your unborn child."

Yukina was stunned into silence, her bound hands hovering protectively over her lower stomach. Her fear was replaced with anger as she heard the triumphant call of a dragon that was most likely feasting on one of her gardeners, "I am of the koorime! I am only my mother, Hina's, child! And you will not _touch_ my child!"

Xian threw back his head and laughed, but soon faced her with a hate-filled glare, "_Hina_ mated with me before she could conceive you on her own! Look at your eyes, _daughter_, and then glimpse mine! Are they not stained blood-red! Your brother's eyes share that very same color as well!" he bellowed angrily, "He is a male, and _that_ was not your bitch of a mother's doing! My element is that of the burning flame, as is half of yours _and_ your disgraceful brother's!"

In a rage, he appeared in front of her, striking her harshly across her right cheek, "You may have mated into power, but neither you, _nor_ your brother have harnessed the _infinite_ power of your opposite elements! You have lazed about, becoming _weak_ and useless!" he spat venomously at Yukina as she tried to crawl away from the infuriated hi demon.

Jaganshi Xian's eyes glinted as his overpowering anger left him, "_Hiei_ died trying to save a mere ningen from becoming my dinner," at this, Yukina flinched, "But you are not like your brother...No, you have done something that may prove useful and profitable to my conquering of the three worlds...you have conceived a child of two opposite elements _and_ of animal demon lineage..."

Her father, as he had revealed himself, then cupped her swelling face in his large hands and got close enough, much to her disgust, for her to barely hear, "How does it feel...to be responsible for the total enslavement of the three worlds, _daughter_?" He quickly let her go, smirking cruelly at her tear-stained face as he walked back over to the window, basking in the carnage that he had created.  
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Japanese Dictionary:  
domo arigatou - thank you very much  
koorime - ice demon  
ningen - human  
Reikai - the spirit world  
Ningenkai - the human world  
ki - spirit energy  
mori - forest  
Makai - the demon world  
kitsune - fox  
hi koorime - fire/ice demon  
oni - ogre  
Jagan - evil eye  
baka - idiot  
onna - woman  
kato - ferry  
hi - fire  
Reikon Settouzai Katana - Soul Stealing Sword

As a whole-hearted attempt to gain your forgiveness of my tardiness, I tried to make this chapter longer than all of the others! I also tried to include a little more of the plot (but not too much!) so that this may become easier to understand! And, as a domo arigatou to my readers, I have changed (by popular demand) my translations for Japanese words: they are now included at the bottom of each chapter!

So, what did you think of my new antagonist, Tokai Li? At first I was going to make him a protagonist, but I found that this would fit the story better! I've always thought it would be kind of cool to have four arms, but then I thought about how you would be shunned and feared, which led to the creation of Li (who was created with the best of intentions)!

If you've acknowledged all of my hints at multiple plots (i.e., "Sakura", "The Dopplegangers", and "Li's eyes flashing from lilac to steel-grey"), I would like to confirm that there are several sick and twisted plots throughout this story! Remember the first chapter, when Hiei compares the mating habits of ningens and demons? That's a side plot, too. I haven't created anything that would distract you from the main plot, but enough to make you think.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter of "Evasion of Normalcy"! I got it out late because I have no Internet, extra floppy disks, or a CD drive on my computer (which has all of my story data!), sorry! Please review!


	4. Trans Fusion Between Body and Soul

Evasion of Normalcy  
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Disclaimer: If I owned it then there would be an American name on it!  
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Chapter Four  
Trans Fusion Between Body and Soul  
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Daio Enma, the Lord of Hell, knew that something was not right as his most respected kato onna banged her fist on his chamber doors before summoning them to open. She flew in upon her oar, which soon disappeared, causing Botan to fall to the floor. It didn't really hurt, as she had been hovering three feet from the ground, but it stung for a few short moments.

The huge Lord in front of her strummed his fingers on the desk in front of him with anxiety, while the kitsune Lord beside her knelt to assist her to her feet. When all was taken care of, she bowed to her afterlife employer, uncertainty shining in her lilac eyes.

"Yes, Botan?" Enma asked, his voice rumbling in her ears. She looked to the side, _'Lord Enma has always been known for his short fuse...and if the prisoner was that powerful, then he must have been of some importance to my employer and caretaker...hopefully this will play out better than it is in my head...'_

She cleared her throat nervously, "Lord Daio, Lord Youko," she stared, bowing at each as she spoke their names, "A convict has escaped from the Reikai Prison. He wields invisible blades of wind, has bloodstained bandages wrapped around his upper torso, " she felt the color flood from her face as both Lords' eyes widened, "and has four arms." she finished meekly, flinching as Enma's lips began to curl up into a snarl.

"Tokai Li has escaped!" the Master of Hell bellowed, startling all residents within the Palace of Reikai. He stood up abruptly, pounding a fist harshly on the desk he had been sitting at just moments ago, cracking the rose colored marble. "Why wasn't he stopped! He was unconscious, how did he _escape_! Where were the guards!"

"He killed them, my Lord! As he began to pass me in the halls of the prison, he sprang up and pushed his lower arms straight through their backs!" Botan was very pale now, glancing wildly around between each of the Lords, the weight of the situation finally pressing down on her. There was no doubt that this prisoner had been very important.

Botan was always known for her cool-headedness, it was a skill that was required in her profession, "He put one of his Blade Winds to my neck and held me hostage! If it wasn't for Hiei then I'd be-"

"Wait," Kurama cut in, "Jaganshi Hiei? I thought that he was a prisoner?" The deity nodded, "Hiei was in a nearby cell, but he was close enough that his Kuro Hi managed to badly burn the convicts lower, right arm..."

This information surprised both Lords, as the Reikai Prison drastically reduced the ki of all convicts brought within it's expansively numbered hallways. It's power did not take away all of it, as some would become lost souls if they could not keep their body temperatures up or down, but it hid the largest portion of ki within the spirit from the owner. If Hiei could summon his Kuro Hi, no matter how small it had been, then he was most certainly the most powerful spirit within the Prison.

"Botan...summon the army...leave no rock unturned...find the convict!" The large hi demon ordered, pointing toward the doors, pushing them open with his ki. Botan gave a small squeak and materialized her oar. After she sped out the doorway, the large doors swung shut with a terrible force, shaking the entire castle.

Youko Kurama looked worriedly at Daio Enma, who was shaking as he lifted his fist into the air, before bringing it down upon the desk set aflame. The desk collapsed into a weary heap of broken chunks of marble with the force that had been inflicted upon it.

The Master of Hell let out a guttural roar, before picking up a piece of the thing that used to resemble a desk. He put long cracks into the wall after he flung the marble at the wall, "He was _two feet_ away from me! I could have ended Sakura's pain right then! She would have rested in peace!"

Youko Kurama quickly got out his Rose Whip, and took on a fighting stance, lest the larger demon's fury be turned on him. "Enma, forgive me, but there are more important matters that have to be attended to. Jaganshi Hiei...are you positive that he will be able to defeat his father?"

Enma glared at the marble floor, "No...reviving him would also be a problem..." Kurama's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"We will be able to revive him into his original body, even though we would be violating the peace treaty between the three world by taking his body from a ningen morgue, but to get his body back...he would have to push his ki into a strong enough form that could pass it on into his body...because his soul is incomplete, all of the studies taken have proved that there is only one way to do this..."

"Mating?" Kurama whispered, realization dawning on him. The larger demon nodded, "That is the single factor that the hi koorime may not want to follow through with. Jaganshi is known as a mass murderer, he is very clever and will have specific demands if we ask him to do this...he is well-known...if his revival becomes known, then there will be a reward placed on his head for his past deeds...not to mention that who he mates with would have to be near to him, would have to travel with him because they would be his source of power...putting them in potential danger..."

The red-haired kitsune looked up at his ally, a grim expression firmly set in place, "It may violate the treaty, but it has to be done to protect not only my mate, but the three worlds...is there possibly any being in Reikai that may be strong enough to handle his ki?"

Enma grew silent and stared at the rubble that used to be his desk. "Lord Enma?" Kurama asked the dark-haired hi demon, frowning in concern when Enma still did not reply. The demon finally looked up, a tumult of emotions swirling within his dark, troubled eyes, "Yes...however, I cannot force her to do this..."

"You place trust in her strength, though?" Enma nodded, "She was strong enough to release the Dragon of the Darkness Flame from it's artifact and direct it to a certain source...she directed it to Jaganshi Hiei, in fact..."

"Who is she?" Kurama gently pressed, trying to keep the Lord of Hell calm. Enma looked down once again, and, through clenched teeth, growled, "My most respected kato onna, the azure-haired woman that informed us of Tokai's escape...we know only that she has a large amount of ki that centers on the element hi, and the healing powers that she gained when she became a kato onna..."

Kurama frowned, "You said that she gave the Dragon of the Darkness Flame to Hiei? Then they must have some connection...maybe we will be able to acquire her assistance because of that?" Enma shrugged, which he does not do often, "I will not force her to do anything that she doesn't approve of..."

Both Lords were torn...putting someone through this was morally wrong...but even if all of the armies of the three wolds combined into one, it was unprobable that they would be able to defeat Jaganshi Xian or his army...if Lord Enma's army couldn't find or capture Tokai Li, they stood nearly no chance against his superior.

"I know that this is going to be difficult for Botan and Hiei...but we have to try." Enma sighed and scratched the side of his face with a large, clawed hand. Then, growling through grit teeth, he spoke, "We will discuss it with her...I'll have one of the kato onnas summon Jaganshi Hiei..." Kurama nodded slowly. He knew that this had to be the least desirable situation for Enma to be caught up in, but they had few options left.  
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Reikai Prison  
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Hiei was sitting on the floor of his dark cell when his meditation was interrupted by a kato onna with long, green hair and pointed ears. _'A water nymph...'_ he thought absently, _'I could turn all of the guards around her into ash, even from within this cell...'_ A slight smirk accompanied the detailed gore that sprung up from the depths of his mind.

The water nymph looked warily at the unmoving hi demon. She had heard of his misdeeds. He was sentenced to a life in limbo, also known as the Reikai Prison, because he was missing half of his soul and could not be sent to Hell to live out eternity in pain. She knew not how he died, for she used to believe that Jaganshi Hiei could never be killed.

"Guards." she stated, her voice melodic, causing some of Hiei's cell block partners to stir from within their boring damnation. Most water nymphs had melodic voices, so they could charm ningen sailors and and drown them within the water. _'Deceitful maidens..'_ Hiei recalled them being called once.

The oni guards unlocked the cell doors, sliding them slowly open. "Raise your arms." they ordered in gruff, but stupid voices. It was quite rare to find an oni that could have a mind of it's own, in general, they were mostly dull, and required a slightly smarter leader. Hiei did as he was told, knowing that there was nothing that they could actually do to harm a half soul. Ancient shackles were then placed on his wrists. They were rusted on the outside, and cold to the touch, which meant that they had not been used in many years.

The hi koorime could feel a large amount of ki radiating from the artifacts that bound him. To test a theory, he tried to use his Kuro Hi. Nothing happened, in fact, the most he could now do with his hands was twitch his left index finger slightly. _'Interesting...'_ Hiei thought, _'I can no longer use any ki, these artifacts must be very powerful...if they are as effective as I believe them to be, then a lower class demon would most likely be paralyzed from the waist up...'_

"Alright, don't try anything, Lord Daio has demanded your presence." the green-eyed water nymph spoke, her gaze hardening on the hi demon. Hiei smirked and walked, a guard at either elbow, out of his cell. He glanced back at the closing bars of his eternal boredom, bidding it good riddance, because as soon as the shackles had been removed, noone would be spared any of his wrath. He would find a way to posses a body, so he could, once again, wreak havoc upon the three worlds.

The kato onna walked behind him, another artifact pointed at his back. He opened what was left of his Jagan, only to have searing pain tear through his forehead. His greatest asset had been destroyed, and his smirk fell from his face as he remembered, once again, the damage his _father_ had caused.

Jeers from Hiei's fellow inmates followed him as he walked down the hall, his nearly see through index finger twitching, but doing little else. _'These dimwits are becoming annoying...'_ he thought, contemplating on whether to use his Dragon of the Darkness Flame or not, _'If I used that much power, I would only trap myself in this bothersome place...though I'm positive that it would at least release me from my bonds...'_

Some of the prisoners were ningens, ones that, in their own world would be considered "strong" or "elite". They were now reduced to confused, delusional idiots that were vastly overpowered by every other occupant of the prison. These prisoners were few, but were abused physically, sexually, and mentally as though they were the cause for every prisoner's sentence. Many of them had been to a ningen prison before, but, while they were still alive, couldn't fathom how horrible Reikai Prison truly was.

The halls were damp, dirty, and cold, the bars closed in, quite literally, on their occupants at times, swallowing them whole, and the guards were corrupt, taking bribes or listening to threats and releasing or relocating the prisoners which convinced them to wrong. The prison was a living thing that sapped your ki, and it appeared to have acquired a taste for Hiei's own, as it didn't appear to want him to leave with the kato onna and the oni guards.

A barred door from an empty cell swung suddenly open, catching the guard on Hiei's left in the face. It then proceeded to mold into a steely arm, before reaching out to grab the hi demon. Hiei, however, was much faster than Daio Enma's monstrous prison, and kicked the hand in it's palm, sending it backward into it's own gaping mouth. The mouth of this creature used to be the door of another cell, but after devouring a part of it's own body, the beast rattled the cell bars deafeningly and retreated back into it's normal state.

The water nymph still watched the kuro-haired demon warily, but caught her breath five feet further back from him. The attack left Hiei feeling slightly refreshed, so he cracked his neck and nodded for their walk to resume. _'Putting a prison into the form of a monster is brilliant, I'll concede to that, I also admire how sneakily he gets rid of long-time prisoners...'_ he thought as another inmate was absorbed by the bars of his cell.

Near the exit a bright light shined, and the group appeared in front of a huge black beast. The three-headed dog snapped at Hiei, but it's attack was halted by a strange yellow whistle that the kato onna blew. Cerberus then backed off, allowing Hiei, the water nymph still behind him and an oni guard at either elbow, to proceed within the Palace.

Cerberus has been a long time guardian to the gates of Hell, as long a time as Enma has been ruling, because Cerberus has been his pet before royalty. In the belly of the monster, lies the many cells and halls of the Reikai Prison, an intense ki coming from within the mutant dog, holding it firmly in place. Portals, an instrument used commonly among kato onnas, were used to teleport and shrink all visitors. It was almost ironic that limbo would be so close to the gates of Hell, seeing as a sentence to Reikai Prison was a damnation of it's own.

Hiei was stopped in front of two very large doors. The water nymph knocked loudly, before the doors sprang open, almost on their own accord. A very large hi demon stood beside a crimson haired kitsune, they were both critically analyzing the black-clad demon, which was beginning to annoy him to the highest of intensities.

Hiei was escorted into the chamber by the guards, who left right after bringing him to the room's center. Hiei also noticed that the artifacts that bound him were not taken away, which meant that these demons weren't as powerful as they felt ki-wise, or that there was a weaker being inside the room as well.

"Jaganshi Hiei. You have been sentenced to an eternity in the Reikai Prison because you broke terms of your parole. We would be willing to shorten your sentence if you were to assist us in the capture of a few criminals." Enma's voice rumbled through the chambers, a dark glare finding it's way into his eyes.

Hiei's own eyes widened an unnoticeable fraction, before he smoothly replied, "By how much will my stay be shortened?" Enma's glare became fiercer, so the redhead cut in, "I am Lord Youko Kurama, your sentence will be, if you choose to accept our conditions, three hundred millenniums to this date."

Hiei scoffed, "Then I choose no to accept your conditions. If I do this, I am to be released from my sentence, given a replica of my old body, and my weapons will be replaced." At his words Enma growled, "You insolent convict! I'll hear of no such agreement! Your sentence will be a million eternities if you dare to cross me again, Jaganshi!"

The said demon looked calmly into the face of the Master of Hell, "You have heard what I want, I have no need to repeat myself. There isn't another prisoner as strong as I, and your army takes too long to move from one place to another. This mission is far too important, and the situation far too fragile to be placed into the hands of amateurs. If it wasn't, you would not have bothered summoning me to your chambers. You accept my conditions or I'll be going back to my cell."

Hiei smirked as he noticed both demons glance at each other, Kurama was the first to speak, "After completion of this mission, should you choose to accept it, you will be under maximum surveillance, and your parole will exist for one millennium. Your weapons will be returned, seeing as you will be engaging in strenuous battles during the mission. There are terms that need to be accepted by both parties concerning the placement of your half-soul into your past body."

"Both parties?" Hiei asked. Lord Daio glared at him, but stepped to the side so Hiei could glimpse the "other party". It was the kato onna that had caught him in the Reikai Palace and sentenced on the parole that caused his eternal boredom, the one that ferried his soul to Reikai, and the lilac eyed woman he had rescued from Tokai Li in the prison.

"Have you found my soul yet?" he asked nonchalantly, taking secretive glances toward the other male demons in the room, trying to decipher what she had to do with anything. Botan nodded slowly, "That is why you will need to take this mission, one of the fugitives that we will be pursuing has the other half of your soul."

"What do you mean 'we'?" he asked, his tone holding an icy tip to it. He found that he was able to move his arm numbly now, _'I must be regaining my ki...'_. "Botan will be accompanying you because she has the most ki out of all of our healing onnas. She also possesses the power of hi, though it's not as powerful as your own, it's still quite strong. We also require her assistance to fuse your half-soul with your body. I will be accompanying you as well." Lord Youko explained. Hiei didn't relish the thought of an onna being on such a dangerous mission, but if her assistance was required, then he felt it best not to argue the point.

"How is she involved in the transfusion between my body and soul?" Enma stepped forward, "This is why we require the 'agreement of both parties'...Botan, Jaganshi Hiei...we require you both to agree to Hiei's marking Botan..."

At his statement, both Hiei and Botan's eyes widened. Hiei was the first to convey his disapproval, "There is no way in Hell that I am going to mark _her_! Taking mates is for the weak, she will only get in the way!" His body temperature increased drastically with every word until Botan had to back away slightly. Her sudden movement alerted her to the notion that Enma had declared.

"_He_ is not going to mark me! It's against everything that kato onnas stand for, and I won't have such a stubborn and temperamental hi demon mark me!" Hiei growled at her description of him, "You haven't _seen_ _'temperamental'_! If I weren't bound by these shackles I would show you just how _'temperamental'_ I can be!"

"I would like to see you _try_! Even with the shackles off, the most you could do is singe the hair on my head because of my natural resistance to fire!" Botan shouted back, secretly startling Hiei. Noon had ever talked back to him that fiercely, but that held no value to him at the moment, "That's it!" he shouted angrily, and would have moved toward her so he could do anything to prove her wrong, but was stopped by a bellow from Daio Enma.

"Enough!" he roared, causing kato onnas on the opposite side of the palace to jump in surprise, "That is enough! You two have spent my patience! The fate of the three worlds rests on your shoulders! You both are hundreds of years old, yet you're acting like toddlers that don't get their way! If this mission is not completed, and _soon_, it will cause the undoing of everything! If you will not accept the mission, Jaganshi, then you will be taken back to your cell to await the coming apocalypse!"

Hiei glared hard at the larger demon, "Will my conditions be met?" Kurama nodded, "Then I accept." Botan's mouth dropped open, "How can you just say that! This is the rest of my life that you're throwing away!" Hiei shrugged, "With the bond, I'll be forced to protect you, so at least you know that I won't be able to kill you."

Botan glared at him, only to receive a much harsher glare from the receiver of hers. After moments of mental debate, Botan sighed heavily, "For the three worlds, I accept, but I will not have him do _anything_ but mark me!"

"The mere thought of mating with you brings bile up my throat, baka kato onna!"

"Good!" she shouted back, after which she stood at the opposite side of the room from him, as far away as possible. Enma and Kurama looked at each other, hoping that this would work. "Bring in the body of Jaganshi Hiei!" Enma ordered to the oni guards outside.

The doors opened once again, and a table was rolled into the room. The guards placed it near Enma, then departed. "Is that my body?" Hiei asked. Enma nodded and removed the blanket which covered the corpse. On the body, which was clad only in the black pants that Hiei was wearing when he was murdered, you could see the destroyed Jagan and the other scars that symbolized both his and Jesus Christ's death.

Botan let out a small squeak, and turned to face the wall. "Botan, once the process is complete, you will have to heal the wounds on Hiei's body."

"Will my Jagan be restored?" the half-soul asked as he looked upon the body that he had previously inhabited. "Not completely," Kurama explained, "You will, once again, be able to use it, but it's power will be limited, and will drain your ki if not used carefully."

Hiei mulled everything over for a few moments before he looked up at the two Lords, "I need to speak with and perform the action alone with the onna." Enma was about to retort, but was stopped by a simple glance from Kurama. The dark eyed demon glared at his long-time friend, but said nothing.

"We will take our leave, but we _will_ be watching all that happens with a portal. We will not intrude on your conversation, but when the marking and healing are complete, we will enter the room again." Kurama stated before exiting the room. Enma glared at Hiei, "I'll be going as well, but if I see even the _smallest_ of suggestions that you're going to become violent, I will perform trans location between your blood and a _vat of acid _while sustaining just enough of your consciousness in a state of unlife so that you'd be able to experience the impossible pain of it before being _driven insane_ as a fully aware, yet dead corpse rotting in your cold cell for beyond eternity. Do you understand me, _convict_?"

Kurama looked curiously at the Master of Hell. He knew that Botan was the top kato onna in Reikai, but he did not realize the real reason for Enma's obvious protectiveness. Fact was, Enma had been Botan's caretaker since before she could remember, and was more protective of her than he was over anything else.

Hiei nodded with a smirk on his face, and waited for the demon to leave the room. When the doors were firmly shut, he faced Botan once again, totally calm. "Hn. I am marking you _only_ for the sake of the transfusion. Do not believe that this will give you any power on this mission. Should you feel anything, you are _not to act upon it_, do you understand?"

Botan nodded, "I would never act upon such a ludicrous notion of pursuing any kind of relation with _you_." Hiei nodded as well, "Then we are in agreement. You will be my mate, I will be yours. We _belong_ to each other, and if you are around any males, I may not be able to control myself. So, just as a prior warning, keep watch on those around you, it just might save a few lives."

"You wouldn't actually _kill_ anyone, would you?" Botan asked fearfully. Hiei looked thoughtful for a moment, "Hn. I have killed thousands, one more won't make much of a difference. I cannot guarantee that the bond will not control me, seeing as you have a decent amount of ki that may draw us together anyway."

Botan gulped and walked towards the hi demon, "Is this going to hurt?" she asked halfway to him. "I have to bite into the junction between your neck and shoulder, of course it will hurt." Botan sighed, she had reached the table. Hiei walked around the table and motioned for her to sit on the edge of it. She did so reluctantly.

He tilted her head to the left, cradling it in his right hand, the left still cuffed next to it, and searched for the area where he had to mark. He could already feel her blood rushing through her veins as he swept strands of azure hair away from the junction. He felt her heartbeat quicken as he moved closer, inevitably breathing on her skin.

He opened his mouth and whispered, as an afterthought, "You may want to hold on to the table." before plunging his fangs into the junction. She screamed and he felt her clutch to, rather than the table, his body. He felt a slight burn on his wrists, and peered at them from the corner of his eye, finding that the shackles had disappeared after he bit the junction. This allowed him to let his left hand wander so it rested at her waist.

He tasted her blood in his mouth, and found it to be oddly sweet, not at all unappealing. She whimpered as he sucked on the wound, filling his mouth with more of her amazingly delicious blood. Her whimpers got louder and finally broke through his stupor. He gently licked at the wound, lapping up any blood that still leaked out, and, although subconsciously, trying to comfort the whimpering onna.

Suddenly, he wanted her to taste her blood, but the only way to do it was to share what was left in his mouth, as there was no more coming from the wound he had cauterized with his natural body heat. He saw stray tears that had forced their way out from under her eyelids, and he felt a surge of guilt. He had caused that, he had made her cry.

When the rest of the blood had drained down his throat, though the sweet aftertaste remained, Hiei regained self control, and realized exactly what he had begun to feel, _'Why is this affecting me so deeply? I have no affections for the onna, this bond is making me think like a lovesick fool! Why should I care if she is hurt or not!'_ He phased to the opposite table, feeling cold seep into his palms as they disappeared from off of his new mate's skin. He was also disgusted at the wave of regret at having to remove his hands in the first place.

Botan was also experiencing the strain that the bond was putting on her emotions. The disappointment that swept through her when he moved away from her brought a throbbing into her chest. After she realized exactly what feelings were shooting through her, she nearly gagged.

Hiei looked at his hands, they were no longer semi-transparent, but were solid. He felt a sharp pang in his side when he moved his arm, only to look down and find a gaping hole in my left side that was bleeding more profusely per moment. "Onna." he called, causing her to turn around on the now empty table. His body had been summoned during the marking, completing the transfusion.

"Heal my wounds before I bleed to death, again." he bluntly ordered. Botan swung around to the table so she was facing him, her hands nearing the worst of his wounds. Hiei could feel the white magic flowing within his body, repairing tissue, easing pain, and sewing up the wound entirely. As the newly-marked Botan moved on to heal his Jagan, he began to feel tranquil, her healing powers becoming almost like a drug to the hi koorime.

As if the magic wasn't enough, as she pushed more of it into his wounds her fingers gently caressed the skin around the wounds, sending small waves of feeling that Hiei couldn't describe. As he felt her move on to his left wrist, he caught himself staring at her pink lips. He quickly turned his head, disgusted with himself, once again.

When her fingers grazed the symbol of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame on his right arm, her touch lingered slightly on the head of the dragon, causing Hiei to look curiously at her out of the corner of his eye. She quickly began healing his wound once she felt him staring at her as she touched the intricate tattoo.

When the time came to heal the wounds on his ankles, she motioned for him to sit on the table, as she had done earlier. As he situated himself on the cold steel, she found herself staring at his face, admiring it in her sub conscience. Her gaze unpurposely memorizing every scar and curve.

Soon, though, Hiei looked up, only to have crimson meet lilac as their stares connected. He felt a strange flutter in his heart, something that he had never felt before. The unknown experience was enough to startle the kuro haired demon into anger, "Get on with it already!" he snarled, making Botan jump slightly in surprise.

At first Botan felt sadness at the fact that Hiei had shouted at her, but it quickly turned into frustration. In retaliation, she pressed her fingers a little harder than necessary on the wounds, also pushing her magic into the hole agonizingly slow, allowing Hiei to feel the pain she put on to his ankles, causing him to hiss lowly and growl at her.

"Done!" the blue haired deity announced, almost happily. Truthfully, she felt a strange abandonment because she was no longer touching her new mate, but she pushed those feelings aside. "An 'arigatou' would be nice." she stated, glaring at the standing demon.

"Hn." he grunted, glaring back even more fiercely. Their staring battle was abruptly brought to an end as the large doors opened. Both demon Lords strode into the room, looking between the bonded pair. "Everything went well, I presume?" Kurama asked. Botan nodded, while Hiei merely cracked his neck and glared out the window.

Enma approached Hiei, a cold stare nearly boring a hole into the wall behind the hi koorime. "I do not entrust the care of Botan to you lightly, Jaganshi. If I find that any harm _whatsoever_ has come to her, then I will fulfill my promise of ultimate torture and pain unto you." With that he turned back towards Kurama, "No going back now, you'll leave at dawn. I'll have Ayame get everything prepared for your journey, for now you will stay in the palace," he shot another glare at Hiei, who made no move to acknowledge the fact he was being pointedly stared at, "Where I can keep an eye on you all."

Lord Youko Kurama, Botan, and Hiei all nodded, and were shortly escorted out of the chambers, leaving a doubt-filled Daio Enma behind.  
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Japanese Dictionary:  
domo arigatou - thank you very much  
kato - ferry  
onna - woman  
Reikai - the Spirit World  
kuro - black  
hi - fire  
ki - spirit energy  
koorime - ice demon(ess)  
ningen - human  
oni - ogre  
Jagan - evil eye  
kitsune - fox demon  
baka - idiot

**LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN!**

Acid...heh heh...the whole "perform trans location between your blood and a vat of acid" thing was used from an online comic series that I recently have become obsessed with. The comic is widely known among Final Fantasy fans, due to it's lovable eight-bit characters and plot line.

If you can tell me the title of the comic series and it's creator in a review, then I will either dedicate a chapter to you, create a character (most likely an antagonist) in your image and to your liking, or give you a bowl of virtual chili! I will only create a character for the first person who names the comic series AND it's creator in a review, but everyone else who does so afterwards will be included in a mass dedication and receive chili!

I think this is my longest chapter so far. Oh well, at least now you know why I was elaborating on the habits of demon marking and mating in the first chapter! I apologize, but I love it when Hiei and Botan end up becoming bonded in fanfictions, and I couldn't pass up the chance to write one of my own!

So, what do you think of Reikai Prison? I put it into the belly of Cerberus, yes, because that will be a little side plot in future chapters. I seem to have alot of side plots, don't I?

I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Evasion of Normalcy", please review!


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